Women

Safe water and sanitation transform women's lives, enabling them to fulfill their potential.

The issue explained

The effects of a lack of safe water and sanitation are felt most by women and girls. Girls often begin collecting unsafe water as children and continue to collect and carry water throughout their lives.

Many girls spend six hours a day collecting water there often just isn’t time to go to school much. Those that do go often drop out when they start to menstruate because there isn’t anywhere to keep clean.

Without a safe, private place to go to the toilet, many women only go at night, when the risk of assault, sexual harassment or animal attacks is increased. This is the daily reality of life for many women in developing countries.

But there are many other challenges for women without safe water, sanitation or hygiene. Below are some of the main issues:

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Transforming women's lives5 Mar 2012

Life without access to clean water and toilets is tough for everybody. But the consequences of not having these basic services affect women and girls the most.
Women are at the heart of all our projects, we have seen the difference that investing in women makes.
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Publication: Her right to education: Education is recognised as a fundamental human right. Decision-makers are obliged to ensure that it is accessible to all, regardless of gender.

Collecting water from distant, unsafe sources can take several hours a day. In many cultures, women are responsible for running their household so collecting water is their responsibility.

Yet we know that even just a few years of basic education result in women having smaller, healthier, better educated families, which are more able to work their way out of poverty.

Without water in school, dehydration often sets in and it becomes hard to concentrate.

During adolescence, girls suffer most without a clean, private place to go to the toilet and manage their periods. Without separate toilets, handwashing facilities and somewhere to dispose of sanitary napkins, they are likely to miss school or drop out entirely.

In the long-term, a lack of water and sanitation can have an impact on overall and reproductive health. During pregnancy, women are under extra strain if they carry heavy water containers over long distances.

Women in Africa and Asia often carry water on their heads weighing 20kg, the same as the average UK airport luggage allowance.

Poor sanitation and hygiene also increases the risk of sepsis and bleeding during and after childbirth.

Women who have their children without access to safe water are at further risk of illness and infection.

If a lack of safe water forces girls to drop out of school without a basic education, they are less able to contribute to their household or community economically.

Easy access to clean water and safe sanitation frees women’s time, enabling them to start their own businesses and earn a living.

Our experience shows that involving women in planning and implementing water and sanitation projects makes them more successful. Because women usually collect water, they know where the best sources are and which ones are likely to dry up.

By having an important and public role as a health promoter or water committee member, a woman's skills and reputation within the community are also enhanced.

Without a private, hygienic place to go to the toilet, many women will try not to eat or drink during the day. They often wait until nightfall to go in the open, risking physical and sexual attack.

Sandimhia lives in Quelimane, Mozambique. She has cross a makeshift bridge to reach a bush area to go to the toilet.

She says, ‘I come here once a day, between 4 and 5 pm. At night it is very dangerous. People get killed. A woman and a boy were killed with knives. One woman I know of has been raped. I had to go over the bridge once when I was pregnant – I was three months pregnant then."